Refrigerator door butter compartment



Sept- 30, 1952 M. J. SCHRADER EI'AL REFRIGERATOR DOOR BUTTER COMPARTMENT 2 Sl-IEETSSHEET 1 Filed Dec. 1 1950 [Ill/Ill m M 7Q M WZ 2 [III/I III! III/ III! I Sept. 30, 1952 M. J. SCHRADER ET AL REFRIGERATOR DOOR BUT TER COMPARTMENT 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2 Filed Dec. 1, 1950 I/ I/ II II II ATTORNEYS.

Patented Sept. 30, 1952 REFRIGERATOR DOOR BUTTER COMPARTMENT ,Milford J. Schrader and Donald E. Cooke, Green.-

ville, Mich., assignors to Gibson Refrigerator Company, Greenville, Mich., a corporation of Michigan Application December 1, 1950, Serial No. 198,531

12 Claims.

This invention relates to a refrigerator door butter compartment. The invention is particularly useful in a structure for supporting butter and other plastic foods in the wall portion of a refrigerator door for maintaining the butter, etc. at a temperature a little higher than'the temperature prevailing within the refrigerator compartment. I

Many attempts have been made to provide a satisfactory butter compartment in the door or other wall of a refrigerator. Sometimes the structures provide heating elements within the compartments and in other instances the compartment is exposed to conducted heat from the outside of the refrigerator. Such structures,

however, while providing a higher temperature for the butter compartment, have the disadvantage of requiring an electric current or rela tively complicated and expensive structures or give considerable Variation in the temperature prevailing within the butter compartment, so that often the temperatures are too low or too high therein. An object of the present invention is to ,provide a structure formed within the refrigerated door at little expense, while providing a balance between the temperatures within the refrigerator and those without the refrigerator to insure a desired butter compartment temperature. Yet another object is to provide a butter compartment structure within ag'door having side walls thereof exposed to substantially room tempera ture, while at the same time providing means for exposing the interior of the compartment to cold from the refrigerator compartment and moreover sheltering the compartment from currents or cold air within the refrigerator which would cause excessive chilling. A still further object is to provide a butter compartment withina door having meansfor exposing the sides of the compartment to temperature conditions prevailing outside the refrigerator while preventing the accumulation of moisture on the compartment walls. A still further object is to provide in such a compartment structure a closure having deflector means for directing the colder air away from contact with the butter compartment while at the same time providing a cold area centrally with respect to the butter compartment. A still further object is to provide with a butter compartment housed within a door a closure providing afloor adapted to receive butter or a butter dish, etc., means being provided for releasably locking the floor portion within said compartment and for stabilizing the same as it moves within the compartment. Other specific objects and advantages will appear as thespecification proceeds.

The invention is shown in an illustrative embodiment by the accompanying drawings, in Which Figure l is a frontview in elevation of a refrigerator and a door therefor equipped with butter compartment means embodying our invention; Fig. 2, a broken enlarged view in elevation of the inner side of the door and the butter compartment housed therein; Fig. 3," an enlarged sectional view, the section being taken as indicated at, line 33 of Fig. 1; Fig. 4, a sectional detail view, the section being taken as indicated at line4-4 of Fig. 3; Fig. 5, a transverse sectional view, the section being taken at line 5--5 of Fig. 3; and Fig. 6, a sectional view similar to Fig, 3 but showing a modification in which the deflector skirt is formed integrally with the closure.

In the illustration given in Figs. 1 to 5 inclusive, A designates a refrigerator provided with a refrigerator door B. The refrigerator may be of any desired construction for providing an inner refrigerated compartment H1.

The refrigeratordoor B may also be of any desired construction. It is shown hinged upon the refrigerator A and is provided with insulation. The door B has an inner door pan I I which is apertured to receive a compartment shell or casing l2. The shell l2is. provided with a flanged portion l3 which is secured to the pan by screws M. The screws M'enga'ge a tubular sleeve Ma formed integrally with the shell flange 13.

While the door is provided with a strip of insulation l5 adjacent the pan or liner II, we prefer to omit the insulation about most of the side area of the casing l2 so as to provide uninsulated areas Hi'and I! about the greater portion of the sidewalls of the casing. At the outer end of the casing [2 we provide an insulation block I81which shelters thev outer end of casing I2 and'p'revents excessive sweating or condensation of moisture.

The. casing or shell [2 may be formed of plastic material, aluminum, stainless steel or other suitable material. We prefer to form the shell of plastic and to form itby injection molding. In the illustration given, the casing 12 is provided at its outer lower side with a depending skirt or deflector 19 which is calculated to deflect the upwardly-flowing colder currents of air from contact with the closure member 20. The skirt [9 is provided with an integral inwardlyextending tube'lila adapted to be engaged by a screw [4 passing through the inner pan II for securingthe portion [9 firmly to the pan H.

The closure 20 is also preferably formed of plastic and the upper portion of the closure is provided with a forwardly-extending and inwardlyinclined portion 2| having an inner edge bearing against thelinner door pan ll. We prefer to provide the closure 20 with an inwardly-extending recessed portion 22 providing a handl for the movement of the closure into and out of closing. position, while at the same time providing a recess in which a pocket of cold air is disposed centrally of the butter compartment.

We prefer to form integrally with the closure a floor or base plate 23 adapted to receiv a butter dish 24 or to receive butter, etc. directly. The floor is preferably provided with abutments 25 which cooperate with the lips 26 for preventing displacement of the dish 24; lntegrally formed with the floor 23 are upwardly-extending short side walls 21 adapted to engage th guides 28 iormed integrally with the casing l2 so that thus the floor of the closure 20 is held againsttilting or upward movement.

The lower wall 29 of the casing I2 is provided with a raised locking rib '30 adapted to be received within locking recesses 31 and 32 in the lower portion of the closure floor 23. With'this struc-- ture, the closur may be pressed into the casing 12 in different relative positions, one position being that illustrated in Fig. 3 in which the closure substantially engages the walls of the inner pan. It may be also secured in a position in which the closure 20 is spaced from the inner pan, as where the recess 32 engages the locking rib 30. Thus the degree to which the butter compartment is exposed to the cold air within the refrigerated 'co-mpartment may be varied while still securing the butter dish or butter, etc. within the butter compartment. should the "temperature prevailing on the outside of the refrigerator be greater than usuaLthe closure 20 may bewithdrawn slightly away from the door pan H to bring the recess 32 into engagement with the latching rib and thus increase the efiect of the refrigeration withinthe refrigerator compartment upon the interior of the butter compartment.

Operation In the operation of the structure, butter or other plastic foods may be placed within the dish 24 and the closure 20 moved to the position shown in Fig. 3. In this position, the top, bottom and side walls of the casing [2, or the major portion thereof, are exposed to the warmer ambient atmosphere prevailing within spaces l6 and 11. This heat exchange relation is eifective in raising the temperature in the butter compartment considerably above the temperature within the food storage or refrigerated compartment so that the butter is maintained at the desired temperature for ready spreading, etc. At the same time, the butter is kept in good condition by the influence of the cold from the refrigerated compartment l0. By employing the deflector portions l9 and 2 I, we prevent undue exposure of the butter compartment to the cold air currents within compartment l0. As already stated,the deflector I9 is effective in baiiiing or deflecting the upwardlyflowing colder currents of air from prolonged contact with the closure 20. Thus the contour of the closure 20 and deflector i9 is eifective in throwing the colder air away from the butter compartment, while at the same time the air pocket 22, which provides a handle, provides a cooling area within a central position in the butter compartment.

With the structure shown, the closure and floor provide a highly accessible support upon which the butter may be readily placed or removed. At the same time, the skeleton structure which thus provides such ready accessibility to the butter, etc., is securely held in position by the cooperation between short walls 27 and the guides 28. Further, the interlocking connections between the casing wall and floor wall serve to secure the 010- 4 sure structure and its floor in the desired closed or partly open positions.

The warmer ambient atmosphere prevailing in spaces [6 and H by heat exchange relation with the butter compartment, provides a source of heat for maintaining th temperature in the butter compartment considerably above the temperature in the food storage compartment. At the same time, the insulation l8 between the outer door pan 33 and the rear wall of shell l2 prevents excessive sweating on the outer dOOr pan which would ensue otherwise from the contrast in tern perature on the two surfaces thereof were no insulation thus provided.

With the structure shown, there is a good temperatur control provided whereby ample warming of the compartment is accomplished by reason of the exposed sides to areas [6 and ll, while at the same time the degree of cooling of the butter compartment can be accurately controlled by the movement of closure 20 toward or away from the inner door pan I I. By providing deflectors which protect the closure from the colder air currents, excessive chilling from such sources is eliminated while at the same time the interior of the butter compartment is exposed to the amount of cold desired by the movement of the closure into positions varying the distance between the closure and the inner door pan.

In the modification illustrated in Fig. 6, the structure is very similar to that already described in Figs. 1 to 5 inclusive, except that in this modification, the skirt or deflector I9a is formed integrally with the closure 20a. The casing I 2c is provided with the usual flange i3a secured to the inner door pan l I by screws 14, but the lower wall of the casing 12a is preferably extended to provide a support for the latch bar or rib 30a. The floor or tray portion 23a is utilized for receiving the butter or other soft plastic food and the butter dish may, if desired, be omitted.

In the operation of the closure and the tray or floor carried thereby, in either of the modifications, the recessed portion 22 provides a convenient handle for carrying the closure and the tray while at the same time the recess provides a cold pocket for chilling the central portion of the butter compartment.

In the two modifications illustrated, there is provided a cut-away portion or recess 34 which provides a convenient space for grasping the dish in removing it or placing it upon the tray or floor portion23. If a butter dish is not employed, the same cut-away area or recess facilitates the removal of the butter itself or other plastic food.

While in the foregoing specification we have set out a specific structure in considerable detail for the purpose of illustrating an embodiment of the invention, it will be understood that such details of structure may be varied widely by those skilled in the art without departing from .the spirit of our invention.

We claim:

1. In a refrigerator having a refrigerated food compartment and an insulated door providing access to the compartment, said door having a recess therein open from the inner side of the door, a shell within said recess providing a compartment open at its inner side, said shell having side wall areas enclosed by an uninsulatedarea in communication with the'outer side of the door. and a closure equipped with a tray slideably mounted in said shell and having a handle pocket portion extending centrally within said shell.

2. In a refrigerator providing a refrigerated side walls of said shell beingfree of insulation, a.

closure fortheinner side of said shell: and equipped- 1 with a 7 tray slideably-- I received within saidshelLand a strip of insulation between-th'e rear wall of said shell and said outer door pan.

3. In a refrigerator having a refrigerated compartment and an insulated door providing access to the compartment, said door having a recess therein open at its inner side, a shell within said recess forming a compartment within the door and open at its inner side, a closure equipped at its bottom with a tray adapted to be slideably received within said compartment, and deflector means providing an upwardly and inwardly inclined surface between the inner side of said door and the outer side of said closure to deflect rising currents of cold air away from said closure.

4. In a refrigerator providing a refrigerated food compartment and equipped with an insulated door having inner and outer door pans, said inner door pan being apertured, a shell received within said aperture and providing a food compartment, areas between the outer pan of said door and the side walls of said shell being free of insulation, a closure for the inner side of said shell and equipped with a tray slideably received within said shell, a strip of insulation between the rear wall of said shell and said outer door pan, and a deflector formed integrally with said shell and providing an upwardly and inwardly inclined wall for directing rising currents of cold air away from said closure.

5. In a refrigerator providing a refrigerated food compartment and equipped with an insulated door having inner and outer door pans, said inner door pan being apertured, a shell received within said aperture and providing a food compartment, areas between the outer pan of said door and the side walls of said shell being free of insulation, a closure for the inner side of said shell and equipped with a tray slideably received within said shell, a strip of insulation between the rear wall of said shell and said outer door pan, and a deflector formed integrally with the lower portion of said shell and providing an upwardly and inwardly inclined wall for directing rising cold air currents away from said closure.

6. In a refrigerator providing a refrigerated food compartment and equipped with an insulated door having inner and outer door pans, said inner door pan being apertured, a shell received within said aperture and providing a food compartment, areas between the outer pan of said door and the side walls of said shell being free of insulation, a closure for the inner side of said shell and equipped with a tray slideably received within said shell, a strip of insulation between the rear wall of said shell and said outer door pan, and cooperating guide means on said shell and tray portion of the closure for maintaining said tray in a horizontal position within said compartment.

7. In a refrigerator providing a refrigerated food compartment and having an insulated door, said door having a recess therein open from the inner side thereof, a shell extending within said recess and providing a compartment therein, said shellbeing open at its inner side, areas between the sides of said shell and the outer portion of said door being free of insulation, and a closure member for closing the inner side of said door and provided: with a tra. sl id'e'ably engaginggtnei bottonfr ofr said? shell,- said-T shell having. its .bot tom' -wall extende'd i-nwardly to enabl'el-saidfclo-e sure be supported impositions engaging; the: inneriwall i'ofi' said' door andat:spaced: distances: inwardly th'ereofli v StI-Inna refrigerator providing a -refri'gerated;

food compartment andzhavingi an" insulated door} said door;rliau'ziiig arecesstherein open fromithe: inner side thereof; a shelli extending: within' saidi recess andpr'oviding a coinpartment therein, said shell beihgiopen at i'tsi-innei side, areas between the sides of said shell and the outer portion of said door being free of insulation, a closure member for closing the inner side of said door and provided with a tray slideably engaging the bottom of said shell, said shell having its bottom wall extended inwardly to enable said closure to be supported in positions engaging the inner wall of said door and at spaced distances inwardly thereof, and interlocking means carried by said tray and said shell bottom for releasably locking said tray in said relative positions.

9. In a refrigerator providing a refrigerated food compartment and having an insulated door, said door. being provided with inner and outer door pans having insulation therebetween, said inner door pan being apertured, a shell extending within said aperture and providing a compartment therein, said shell being open at its inner side, said door being free of insulation in areas between the sides of said shell and the outer pan of said door, said shell having its wall extended inwardly, and a closure having an inwardly extending tray portion slideably mounted upon said shell bottom and movable into a position in which said closure is spaced outwardly from said inner door pan.

10. In a refrigerator providing a refrigerated food compartment and having an insulated door. said door being provided with inner and outer door pans having insulation therebetween, said inner door pan being apertured, a shell extending within said aperture and providing a compartment therein, said shell being open at its inner side, said door being free of insulation in areas between the sides of said shell and the outer pan of said door, said shell having its wall extended inwardly, a closure having an inwardly extending tray portion slideably mounted upon said shell bottom and movable into a position in which said closure is spaced outwardly from said inner door pan, and latch and recess-locking means on said tray and shell bottom for releasably securing said tray in said abutting and spaced positions.

11. In a refrigerator door provided with inner and outer pan portions and insulation therebetween, said inner pan being apertured, a plastic shell extending into said recess and providing a chamber closed on all sides except the inner side, said shell having its bottom wall extended beyond. said inner door pan, said shell having its sides enclosed by air which is in direct communication with the outer door pan, a strip of insulation between said outer door pan and the rear wall of saidshell, a closure member equipped with a tray slideably mounted on the bottom wall of said shell and movable into positions to bring said closure into engagement with said inner door inner door pan, and means for releasably looking said tray in said closed and said spaced positions.

12. In a refrigerator having a refrigerated food compartment and an insulated door providing access to the compartment, said door having a, recess therein open fromthe inner side of the door, a shell within said recess providing a compartment open at its inner side, said shellhaving side wall areas enclosed by an uninsulated area in communication withuthe outer side of the door, and a closure for the inner side of said-shell, the closure having a recess on the face thereof extending inwardly toward said shell.

- MILFORD J. SCI-IRADER.

DONALD E. COOKE.

The following references are of record in the- REFERENCES 0mm file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Date I Norberg June 29, 1943. 

